Lavrov, Kerry to Continue Talks on Crisis in Ukraine

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov spoke with US Secretary of State John Kerry of normalization of the situation in Ukraine. Photo by EPA/BGNES.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State John Kerry agreed to continue contacts in the interests of the soonest normalization of the situation in Ukraine.

“The two foreign ministers continued the discussion of possible international assistance in the settlement of the political crisis in Ukraine in the light of the Thursday four-party meeting in Geneva,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Friday after a telephone conversation between the two foreign ministers, as cited by Itar-Tass.

“Sergei Lavrov drew attention of the US side to the necessity of the immediate and complete fulfillment by the Ukrainian authorities of the Geneva statement provision that provide in particular non-use of force and the beginning of a nationwide dialogue on a new constitution involving all key political forces and Ukrainian regions,” the message continued.

Participants in Geneva's four-way meeting have agreed on measures to wind down tensions in the east and south of Ukraine, Thursday.

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andriy Deshchytsia, US and Russian counterparts John Kerry and Sergei Lavrov, and the EU High Representative on Foreign Affairs Catherine Ashton found a common ground and said military formations acting in the country must be dissolved.

An amnesty will be granted to the groups that Kiev describes as "separatists" if they comply with these demands. More autonomy could also be assigned to areas with a significant number of Russian-speaking population. OSCE monitors are to de deployed in the regions of unrest to observe the process.

The four representatives were unanymous that their meeting was only the beginning of a political process leading to Ukraine's stabilization.